Governor adjusting mechanism



Api'il 17,1945. G. F. DRAKE 2,374,083

GOVERNOR ADJUSTING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 26,1943" Y 2 Sheets-Sheet i .G'eaye rreafpmke April 17, 1945.

' GOVERNOR ADJUSTING MECHANISM Filed Nbv. 26, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J 9r3 N f 6 s? 42 65 sa V IL Gear 6 s orreaffi' die a fai c4416., F-ZKQ v KLM Patented Apr. 17, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFloE GOVERNOR apfif i o MECHANISM George Forrest Drake. Rockford, Ill.. assignor to Woodward Governor Company, Rockford, 111.,

a corporation of Illinois Application November 26, 1943, Serial No. 511,821

I top. cover plate removed and a 10 Claims.

This invention relates to a mechanism for adjusting the speeder spring or other means by which the speed setting of a. governor may be varied while the governor is in operation.

The general object of the invention is to pro- 5 casing l8 having-a ledge l9 supporting the ball vide a new and improved governor adjusting head and the lower end of the shaft projects mechanism which is controllable electrically from the bottom of the casing for connection from a remote point which mechanism is small through a coupling 20 with a sh ft 2 r v n by in size and of light weight and which is simple the prime mover. and rugged in construction and reliable in op- Arms 22 on the fiyballs' ar upwardly in fi eration. the outer race of a ball bearing .23 whose inner Another object is to provide novel remotely race is carried by a stem 24 of a valve 25 which controllable governor speed adjuster which is constitutes the spe d nt ll n d vice n h actuated by power derived from the prime mover p sen ta ce. It perates in pons to a controlled by the governor, l5 detected speed increase to admit fluidirom a A further object is to provide a speed adjuston tan pressure area 26 Suppl by a P p ing mechanism fora governor which is self-conto the servo II which thereupon reduces the tainedwithin the governor casing and is actu en peed- In r sponse to a spe ated through a drive connection from th govthe valve 25 allows fluid from the serve to drain emor drive shaft. out through the lower end of the drive sleeve I1 Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a general perspective view of a governor embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the governor of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the'govemor with the portion of the underlying parts broken away.

Fig. 5 is a schematic wiring diagram of the controls for the governor.

Fig. 6 is a detafl sectional'view taken substan-' tially along the line 6-6 in Fig. 4. I

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, I

have shown in the drawings and will herein describe in detail the preferred embodiment, but it is to be understood thatI do not thereby intend to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, but intend to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention in. the appended claims.

In the drawings, the invention is shown for purposes of illustration incorporated in agovas expressed oted on pins H which are supported between ears 15 on a ball head i6 fast on the upp r end of a vertical sleeve" which constitutes the governor drive shaft. The latter is journaled in a and increase the engine speed. Reference may be made to Woodward Patent No. 2,204,640 for fur-' ther details as to the construction of the valve 30 between a cap 29 on the upper end of the stem and a movable abutment 30 on the lower end of a screw 3|. The latter may be raised and lowered axially in a manner to appear later in order tovary the loading of the spring and,

35 therefore, the speed setting of the governor.

' ernor I0 for controlling the supply of energy medium to a servo actuator H which adjusts the pitch of propeller blades 12, or otherwise regulates the speed of a prime mover (not shown) on whose casing l2'- the goyernor may be mounted.

Since the. force of the spring is transmitted to the fiyballs through the bearing 23, the spring does not rotate, and the speed of the governor may be adjusted while the flyballs are rotating.

The flyballs and speeder spring are housed within a hollow intermediate section 32 of the governor casing which has a top section 33 closed by a removable cover 34 and housing the opcrating-parts of the improved speed adjusting mechanism. The two sections are separated by a partition and the upper section has a horizontally projecting web 36.

Generally stated, the adjusting mechanism is controllable, preferably electrically, from a point.

remote from the governor and is actuated by power derived from the governor drive itself to move the speeder spring abutment 30 and there by vary the speed setting voi the governor as desired. The mechanism is self-contalned'within the governor casing, and includes an upward ex tension of the governor drive shaft l1 and two drive connections adapted-to be rendered active selectively to transmit rotary power in one direction or the other from the shaft extension and move the spring abutment 88 up or down as desired.

Herein the drive shaft extension comprises a hollow frusto-conical member 38 fixed at its lower end to the top of the ball head l8 and having side openings 39 through which the flyballs project. At its upper end, the member 88 is journaled in an anti-friction bearing 40 supported in the partition 35 and coupled. as by a press fit at 4!, to the lower end of a sleeve 42 whose upper end is journaled in a bearing 43 in the web 38. This web nonrotatably supports the upper end flange 44 of a tube 45 which projects downwardly through the sleeve 43 and has an internal thread 46. receiving the external thread of the screw 8|. Thus, by turning the screw in opposite directions within the stationary thread, the loading of the speeder spring 28 is increased and decreased. 7

While the connections for driving the screw 3! in one direction or the other from the unidirece tionally rotating shaft extension 38 may be formed by clutches of various kinds, it is preferred to employ gearings having elements which are mechanically disengaged at all times but which mesh with each other magnetically so as to transmit power when energized. Herein, the gearings comprise a squared external worm thread 41 on the drive sleeve 38 concaved longitudinally to lie closely adjacent but out of mechanical contact with similarly shaped and pitched teeth on two worm gears 48 and 49 which are similarly concaved to follow the worm contour within the active meshing areas. The gears are disposed on diametrically opposite sides of the worm and fast on horizontal shafts 50 and which are journaled in bearings 52 in a nonmagnetic side plate 53 and "a magnetic plate 54 covered by a cap 55, these plates being screwed to opposite sides of the casing. The worm 38, the gears 48 and 49, and the shafts 50 and 5| are composed of magnetizable material and included in low reluctance flux paths A and B (Fig. 5) which are completed through the plate 54 and a horizontal projection 56 therefrom having a concave end face 51 which terminates close to the periphery of the worm midway between the gears 48 and 49.

windings 58 and 59 carried by the shafts-58 and 51 may be energized selectively as by closure of one or the other of two switches 58 and 8| (Fig. 5). These connect a current source S to conductors 82 leading from the point of control through a cable 62 into the upper part of the governor casing. If the winding 58 is energized. the main flux flow is along a path A through the worm and gear 48 and the latter and its shaft 58 will be turned at reduced speed by the worm. When the winding 59 is energized, the flux flow will be along a path B through the gear 49 and the shaft 5| will tum-in the opposite direction.

The leakage of flux from the intended path is minimizedby making of nonmagnetic material the parts not directly included in the two flux circuits. Also, the tendency of flux to by-pass through the inactive path and produce an opposing torque may be minimized by connecting a rheostat 63 across the insulated terminals of the switches 50 and Bi and proportioning the value of its resistance so that the nonselected one of the windings 58 or 49 will lee-energized to a-lesser degree than the main or selected winding and in a that neutralizes the leakage of the main flux.

Optimum torque output of the selected magnetic gearing is thus obtained.

To transmit the opposite rotary motions of the shafts 58 and 5| to the speed adjusting screw 8|, the shafts are interconnected by gears 84 (Fig. 3) on the extended ends of the shafts meshing with an intermediate idler gear 65 supported by the plate 53. Fast on the shaft 58 between the gears 48 and 64 is a worm 68 meshing with a worm wheel 61 on the lower end of a vertical shaft 68 which is journaled in a bearing 69 (Fig. 2) supported by the web 88. On its upper end, the shaft carries a gear 10 meshing with a gear H on a shaft 12 which is journaled in the stationary sleeve and projects downwardly therethrough with its lower splined end projecting into and mating with an internal spline in the upper end ofthescrew3l.- Provision is made for adjustably limiting both the maximum and minimum speed settings of the speed adjuster screw 3|. Adjustable stops are provided for that purpose which, in the present instance, comprise inwardly extending lugs 13 and 14 (Fig. 4) formed on rings 15, 15 respectively and coacting with a, stop pin 11 carried by a gear 18. The latter overlies the gear 1| and is loose on the hub 19 thereof being held in place by a flange stud 88 held down by the cover 34. A pinion 8! on the upper end of the shaft 58 (Fig. 2) meshes with the gear 19 so that the latter turns in unison with the raising and lowering of the abutment 30 and through less than a full revolution during the maximum travel of the screw.

The rings 15, 16 aresupported one above the other on top of a block 82 of insulation secured to the web 36 and are held down by screws 83. Each ring has a serrated connection 84 (Figs. 2 and 4) with plates 85 and 86 which are clamped by screws 81 against the block. These connections permit angular adjustment of the stop lugs 13 and 14 in sense to create a flux flow in the second circuit small steps to vary eitherlimit of the speed adjusting range of the screw 31.

With the mechanism described above, the spec adjustment of the governor may be changed simply by manipulating the switches 60 and 81 which may be located at a remote point. Assuming that the drive shaft I1 is rotating clockwise looking downwardly in Fig. 2, the speed setting will be increased when the selector switch 68 is closed to energize the winding 58 at full line voltage. This causes the associated worm gear 48 to be linked to the worm 35 by iiux threading the path A. Coincidentally, the other winding 59 is partially energized at a reduced voltage determined by the setting of the rheostat 63, thereby tending to induce a limited flow of flux through the other path B so that the leakage flux is effectually neutralized. Thus magnetically linked with the worm, the gear 48 is rotated and, through the gears 65, 61, 10 and 11 turns the shaft 12 and the adjusting screw 3| in a direction to thread it downwardly out of the stationary sleeve 45 thus further compressing the speeder spring 28 to raise the speed setting of the governor. Upon completion of the desired change in speed setting, the switch 50 is opened and both windings 58 and 59 are deenergized, the drive connection to the adjuster thus being interrupted. If the switch isheld closed to the maximum speed setting, the

pin 11 will engage the lug 14 and positively stop the motion, the magnetic gearing slipping.

To lower the speed setting of the governor, the operation is the same except that the selector switch BI is closed to energize the other winding 58 at full line voltage; The associated worm gear 49 is in such case magnetically coupled in driven relation with the worm, and the speeder spring adjuster screw (PI is rotated to thread it upwardly in the sleeve 45 thereby reducing the compression of the speeder spring. Operation in this direction will be interrupted either when the switch 6| is opened or the pin 11 engages the lug- 13 at the minimum limit of the speed range.

It will be observedthat the novel power actuated speed adjusting mechanism is self-contained within the casing of the governor which may,

head and flyballs, a coiled compression spring bearing at one end against said flyballs, an abutment movable axially of said head and bearing against the other end of said spring, a hollow shaft rotated by said power-rotated shaft and projecting from said ball head past said flyballs and past said abutment, a nonrotatable sleeve within said hollow shaft and surrounding said sleeve and said abutment, and means providing a selectively controllable drive connection extending from said power-rotated shaft to said abutment to turn the latter.

2. In a governor, the combination of a rotatable ball head, a power-rotated shaft for rotating said, ball head, a speeder spring disposed on the shaft rotated by said; power-rotated shaft and projecting from said ball head past said fiyballs.

and past.said abutment, mechanism for adjusting said abutment axially ofsaid spring to vary the compression of said spring on said flyballs, and means selectively controllable to establish a drive connection between'the abutment and hollow shaft.

5. In 'a governor, the combination of a rotatable ball head, a power-rotated shaft for rotating said ball head, a speeder spring disposed on the rotational axis of said ball head, an axially movable abutment bearing against saidspring to control the governor speed setting, a hollow shaft rotated by said power-rotated shaft-and projecting from and rotatable with said ball head and surrounding said abutment, a pair of shafts dis posed on opposite sides of and extending transversely of said hollow shaft, selectively operable means for establishing a drive connection between said hollow shaft and one or the other of said pair of shafts whereby to rotate one of, said pair of shafts in one direction or the other of said pair of shafts in the opposite direction,- and means connecting said pair of shafts and said abutment and operable to move the latteraxially in accordance with the rotation of the shafts.

6. In a governor, the, combination of a powerrotated shaft adapted to rotate continuously during the operation of the governor, a speed adabutment, a threaded connection between said rotational axis of said ball head, an axially movable abutment bearing against said spring to control the governor speed setting, a hollow shaft rotated by said power-rotated shaft and projecting from and rotatable with said ball head and surrounding said abutment, a gear rotatable about said axis, selectively operable means for direction or the other, a nonrotatable sleeve one closing said abutment and having a screwthreaded connection therewith, and a spline connection between said gear and saidabutment.

3. A governor comprising, in combination, a power-rotated shaft, a fiyball support rotated by said shaft, a fiyball on saidsupport, a stationary sthreaded sleeve coaxial with said power-rotated shaft, a resilient device disposed'axially of and between said'shaft and sleeve and yieldably restraining displacement of said fiyball under the influence of centrifugal force, an adjusting screw threaded into said sleeve and bearing'against said resilient device to move axially and change the restraining force of said resilient device as I an incident to rotation of said adjusting'screw, a shaft having a spline connection with said screw and projecting fromthe opposite endof said sleeve, and means rotatably supporting said lastmentioned shaft while restraining the same Juster rotated by said shaft to change thespeed setting of thegovernor, a'worm of magnetizable 'material rotated by said shaft, a pair of worms tion with respectto the thread of the first-men tioned worm, means operatively connecting said adjuster and one or the other of said pair of worms, and means including alternatively energizable actuating windings for inducing a flow of flux linking respective'ones of said pair of worms and said first-mentioned worm;

7.- A governor comprising, in combination, a casing, a ball head rotatably mounted in said casing and carrying flyballs, a power driven shaft extending into said casing and driving said ball head, a speeder spring acting on said fiyballs and opposing the centrifugal force exerted thereby,

an element mounted within said casing and rotatable in opposite directions by said power driven shaft to increaseand decrease the stress of said spring, and means disposed within said casing and providing two selectively operable drive connections between said ball head and said element, said means including a rotatable member and means for directly and mechanically connecting said rotatable memberv with said power driven shaft and located wholly within said casing, said connections being operable, when active, to connect said rotatable member with said element for rotating said element in opposite directions respectively.

8. The combination of a governor including a centrifugally actuated speed responsive device, a unidirectionally driven rotary drive member continuously rotating said speed responsive device during operation of the governor, and aspeed adjusting element rotatable in opposite directions by said rotary drivememb'er to increase and decrease respectively the speed setting of the gov- .ihallghead and flyballs, a coiled compression spring ernor, mechanism providing a reversible drive connection between said rotary drive member and said speed'adjusting element operable selec= tively to permit said element to remain idle or to transmit rotation of the rotarydrive member against the other end of said spring, a h'o1low to the speed adjusting element in one direction element for said device mounted within said casing and rotatable in opposite directions, to increase and decrease the speed setting of the device, a drive shaft within said casing adapted to be rotated from an engine or the like to which the governormay be attached, means disposed within said casing and energizable selectively to cause rotation of said element in one direction or the other, said means including a rotatable member and means for directly and mechanically connecting said rotatable member with said drive shalt and located wholly within said casing, and control means operable from a point exteriorly of said casing for connecting said rotary member with said speed adjusting element for rotating 'said element in one direction or the other.

10. In a governor, the combination of a powerrotated shaft adapted to rotate continuously during the operation 01 the governor, a speed adjusternormally stationary but rotatable by said shaft to change the speed setting of the governor, a selectively controllable non-positive reversible drive connection from the power-rotated shaft to the speed adjuster including coacting pairs of elements operable to transmit rotary power when energized and remaining disengaged whereby to slip upon blocking of the speed adjuster, electromagnetic means for energizing saidpairs of elements selectively, and mechanical stops determining the respective limits'of travel of said speed adjuster.

GEORGE FORREST DRAKE. 

